Portal:Philippines/Did you know/Archive

This is an archive for the items that appeared on the Did you know section of Portal:Philippines.
 * ... that deaths caused by falling billboards in Metro Manila during Typhoon Xangsane (Milenyo) (pictured) prompted a renewed push by Philippine legislators for a ban on billboard advertising?
 * ...that the classroom scenes on the film Let the Love Begin were filmed at Lyceum of the Philippines University?
 * ...that pop singer Jasmine Trias is a descendant of Mariano Trias, the Vice President of the Tejeros Convention?
 * ...that José Diokno topped the bar examinations despite not yet finishing his Bachelor of Laws degree?


 * ...that the Arch of the Centuries (pictured) of the University of Santo Tomas at Manila was disassembled from the University's original campus at Intramuros, carried piece-by-piece, and was re-erected at the current campus at Sampaloc?
 * ...that Rafael Buenaventura, once-governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and one of the world’s top central bankers, was largely responsible for removing the Philippines from an FATF black list?
 * ...that the De La Salle University-Manila College of Engineering was established in 1947 with the aim of providing young men with knowledge of science and technology to help rehabilitate the Philippines, which had been devastated during World War II?
 * ...that the Judicial and Bar Council of the Philippines recommends appointees to the country's courts, without the "advice and consent" of the Commission on Appointments?
 * ...that although Negros Occidental has the most chartered cities in the Philippines, many of those cities merely resemble medium-sized towns?
 * ...that Paskuhan Village in San Fernando City, Pampanga, is the only existing Christmas theme park in Asia and the third of its kind in the world?
 * ...that Carlos P. Romulo is the first Asian to both win the Pulitzer Prize and be president of the United Nations General Assembly, although in separate years?
 * ...that Philippine Airlines is Asia's first airline?
 * ...that Camiguin has the distinction of having more volcanoes per square kilometer than any other island on Earth?
 * ...that Jose Rizal is a polyglot, he mastered 22 languages including Catalan, Chinese, English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, Latin, Malay, Sanskrit, Spanish, Tagalog, and other Philippine languages?
 * ...that Henry the Black, the interpreter of Ferdinand Magellan, may be historically significant as the first person to circumnavigate the world?
 * ...that Malacañang comes from a Tagalog phrase May lakan diyan, which means "there is a rich man there" for it was once the home of a wealthy Spanish merchant before it hosted the nation's chief executive?
 * ...that the Philippines average cellphone user sent 2,300 text messages in 2003, making it the world's most avid texting nation?
 * ...that the closing mass for the World Youth Day 1995, held at the Luneta Park, was estimated to be attended by 5 million people and was considered to be the largest papal gathering in the Roman Catholic history but it would be the last time for Pope John Paul II to visit the Philippines?
 * ...that Darna garnered 50.3% overnight ratings from AGB during its second episode and it became the highest rated show ever in Philippine television?